Robbie's hair fell across his eyes like blackened straw. Absentmindedly, he upturned his lips to blow it away. As of late, he'd been treading on thin ice. The shaky state of his reputation with his girlfriend was all he could think about for the last few days. It was that rare occurrence of Robbie V actually using his brain that prompted him to not blow his allowance on gas station junk food this week. Even though he was completely inexperienced in the world of making people happy, Robbie was trying his best to remedy it.

The teen had been walking circles around town for a half hour now, attempting to blow time before his date; a date that as far as he was concerned, could very well be his last. He didn't want to linger on it—there was no doubting that Wendy's acceptance of his advances had been the best part of his summer so far. However, he had a knack for saying and doing the worst things at the worst times. Add to the fact that a brown-haired short-stack had recently showed up in town, doting on his newly-acquired girlfriend. That definitely wasn't helping him quell the abrasive personality he had so comfortably snapped into these last few years.

Robbie continued to traverse with his hands crammed in his pockets. He was sweating through the cheaply made cloth, searching through the summer air for a decent gift for Wendy. He thought to himself, that's why I came out here, right? Robbie stopped at a corner to see that the usual line-up was still open at this hour: the hardware store, the pet shop, and all the other useless stores that he'd never made sense of. On the end of the sidewalk, he saw a dim light glowing far out of reach of the street lights lining the road. Oddly enough, the structure was completely blanketed by the towering trees that Gravity Falls was famous for. He was unsure if it was even a business.

Robbie couldn't say what gravitated him toward the humble shop. His subconscious chalked it up to the fact he'd never noticed it before, in spite of how long he had lived in the small mountain town. His shoes hit the wooden steps, creaking as he ascended. The boy silently wondered why everything was much noisier at night. With the door held open, the interior resonated with a glow that seemed incredibly splotchy. The shop was humid, reeking of strong incense. The smell reminded him of his friend Tambry, for she constantly loved to burn it in her room.

He was met with a décor that contained way too many candles for his tastes. The lingering atmosphere was felt like he was transported into the seventies. Glass art was found everywhere; even hanging from the ceiling. Amongst the tacky beads and trails of smoke, there was a multitude of the typical tourist trap gift shop trinkets. It was a lot like the Pines' place where Wendy worked, but everything was much more... genuine. Nothing was mass-produced or generic. He could see that each article was one of a kind. After processing the setting, Robbie began to understand that if he was to find something here for Wendy, it would be entirely unique and irreplaceable (kind of like the redhead herself…) Becoming concerned for the time, he quickly checked his phone. There was a good fifteen minutes before he had to meet her. He struggled to coach himself, Alright, man, don't screw this up.

Robbie's feet carried him to the back of the humble shop, where he attempted to browse the rack of jewelry and other accessories. He tried to explore the keepsakes without looking "like a tool," as dubbed by his subconscious. The items looked typical of a curiosity shop. His eyes ran over the stones. They were like muddy rocks beneath a stream. Did Wendy even like jewelry? Either way, he figured she'd be the type of person to melt over a gift regardless. His gaze lingered on a specific piece. The goth immediately grinned as he snapped back to examine the curio hanging in pace.

It was tear-drop shaped, yet it reminded Robbie of a flame. He could see every shade of green in the translucent stone; jade, kelly, and lime all danced up toward the point of the chartreuse-flecked beacon. Once noticed, the necklace seemed to make every other item in the shop seem dull. Reaching with a gloved hand out to take it off the rack, his fingers ran along an inscription in the back. It looked like a person's initials, apparently long lost to the sands of time. Robbie couldn't help, but take note that the jewel in his palm seemed to shine with an otherworldly glimmer. Wendy was going to flip her lid!

"You don't want that one, boy."

Robbie flinched instinctively as he was broken from the trance. He nearly knocked over the shelf stationed to him. Clutching the necklace to his chest, he whipped his head around in the direction of the dry voice, trying to hide the fact that he had a girlish scream had nearly escaped his lungs.

The source was an ashy-complexioned man speaking through a grey goatee. Matching colored dreadlocks hung off his head like dead seaweed, He hammered down his fingernails on the wooden table across the room. The voice came out like a whisper, but was loud enough to carry across the room, chilling Robbie to his very core. The teenager stood up, crossing his arms and straightening his back in a hurry. Taking the bait, he looked down on the man.

"Yeah? An' why's that?"

The elder ceased his ministrations on the wood, swiftly bringing his hand to his chin. He stroked it slowly as he got up and walked towards Robbie. "It comes with far too much of a price, I'm afraid..."

The boy smirked instinctively. "Don't worry about it. The looks may fool ya, but I'm not a cheap guy. My 'rents are pretty loaded! So like, whatever price you name, I can pay."

"You misunderstand," He aligned his gaze with Robbie's icy blues, making the teenager notice that one of his eyes was glazed over, as if it was blinded or scarred. Robbie contemplated whether the social custom was to stare into the good eye or the bad eye before quickly realizing he didn't actually care. This guy was wasting his time, and he had a girl to impress. The man continued his caution, "If you buy that necklace, the only thing you'll gain is misfortune."

"Look, old man, I'm pretty sure I got this. Just give me a price and I'll be on my way."

He shook his head, his expression darkening considerably. "I'm warning you, boy. That necklace is nothing short of cursed. I would never wish its effects on a young soul like yourself... and neither should you..."

With that, he absconded to the shadows, slowly pushing away the beads falling from the interior doorway like thin cascades of water. The 'employees only' door gave Robbie enough of an excuse to not follow him. Quietly, he pocketed the treasure he'd been holding onto for dear life. While it wasn't very hard to intimidate the teen out of doing things (despite his protests otherwise), this was for Wendy's sake. She was the one thing he'd resolved that he refused to give up on.

Robbie pulled a money clip out in his pocket, revealing two fifty dollar bills. Reluctantly, he tucked one under the register. Once again, the goth pulled the necklace out of its hiding place. He stared at its hypnotic ethereal glow as a breeze ran over his neck. As he fought to prevent goosebumps from rising to his flesh, the candle adjacent to him suddenly went out. Looking back at his phone, Robbie noticed that he now had five minutes to get to the clearing he said he'd meet Wendy.

Upon leaving, he cast a final glance back to the shady cabin. The boy was almost certain that every light in the shop flickered out at once.

Wendy tapped her boot angrily on the forest floor, paying no mind to the tiny mushroom clouds of pine and dirt dispersing in the air below her knees. This "act" was getting old, making her wonder why Robbie chose to be fashionably late to their outings after they had started dating. Was it that hard to show up on time at least once? The redhead reminded herself to really give him a piece of her mind when she heard footsteps stomping on fallen evergreen. Wendy watched as Robbie nearly fell to his knees panting, before raising his skinny frame to eye level. He smiled a guilty grin at her.

"Don't even try that, dude, I invented that face."

Robbie raised his hands limply to his chest, bracing himself for the incoming hurricane of accusatory shouts. It was almost as if he was shielding his heart from Wendy's wrath.

"This is getting ridiculous, Robbie!" she asserted. "Would it kill you to actually show up when you ask me out? I mean, really? You know how much of a relief it is to get out of my stupid house! You know that I turn down a lot of my other friends for you. If you're going to be my top priority, at least have the decency to make me yours! Act like my boyfriend, or I'll find someone else who will!"

Robbie visibly flinched at the last part. Her venomous words and fiery emerald stare hit him like daggers. For once, he remained silent as Wendy turned away from him, crossing her arms.

"Well? Don't you have some dumb excuse for me?"

He inhaled, and slowly walked toward her. Extending a glove-covered hand, Robbie reached from her shoulder. "Babe, look, I know there's no way it makes up for this, but I swear I was checking the time constantly to make sure I didn't screw up again."

"Why did you even need to?!" She turned around, her hair nearly whipping him in the face. "For the sake of not being late, why can't you just set all your other plans aside?! For me?!"

"Wendy, look, I—"

"Save it, Robbie! There's nothing you can say that could possibly make this less of a totally horrible thing to do!"

He opened his mouth to speak again, but another rare spark of his brainpower flared up, insisting that he remain silent. Instead, Robbie took another breath and reached in his pocket. He clutched the jewel in his hands, letting the silver chain fall into clumps around it. He looked down at Wendy, as if he was a stray cat presenting its owner with a dead animal. Contrary to the metaphor, the adolescent watched all traces of anger instantly. Wendy's green eyes seemed to light up the night sky.

"I was late because I... had to pick something up for you."

Wendy's shocked expression transformed into a beguiled grin. She reached her hand out, peering curiously at the gift. "Dude... you serious?"

Robbie's smile unusually softened from his trademark smug grin. His heart lurched by how visibly charmed she was. He swallowed his nerves, picking his words carefully. "Yeah... I…uh... it kind of occurred to me that I've been messing up, so... I wanted to make up for it..."

"Robbie... man! You didn't have to—I mean—how much did this cost?"

His cocky smile returned. "It's cool. You know what my allowance looks like."

Wendy wrapped her arms around his neck. His ginger love was visibly warm with flattery and utter joy. Blushing slightly, Robbie couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes for fear of becoming lost in them. Instead, he unraveled the necklace slowly. He reached over to rest it along her shoulders once she broke the hug.

The girl closed her eyes expectantly while Robbie brushed her long hair aside. He gently set it to lie along the top of the chain. Strangely enough, he could have sworn that the faint glimmer of the jewel sparked up like an excited lightning bug as soon as it was around her neck. She opened her eyes slowly, making Robbie shied away again from a Wendy who was completely frozen on the spot with happiness; a happiness created by something that he had done. For once in his life, the boy felt he hadn't screwed up.

He wondered why Wendy chose to remain silent. The moment was nice, but the stillness was starting to grow eerie. Suddenly, an uncomfortable breeze started rustling the trees around the two teens. Becoming nervous, Robbie forced himself to snap his gaze into hers. The sight made his blood run cold.

The smile he'd worked so hard to chisel out of anger was long gone. There wasn't a trace of emotion on Wendy's face.

"Wendy...?" He inquired, so quiet it was nearly a whisper. He slightly patted her shoulder.

Her eyes were pure white—the green jewels that festooned them were clouded over, rendering them near invisible. She was like a statue. Every part of her was now a blank slate. It was completely opposite to the enthusiasm and affection she'd just been radiating the moment before. Robbie almost instantly panicked. His first instinct was to scream. He absorbed it, still trying to rouse the girl from the daze she was in.

"Wendy?! Hey... Wendy! This isn't funny at all!"

He shook her, but she remained stiff as a board. His breath becoming unsteady, Robbie backed away, trying to make sense of anything running through his head.

Oh, man! He stared down at his hands, and noticed he was shaking. What's wrong with her?! That old dude wasn't just making stuff up to scare me... this is a dream, or something... right? She's going to be fine! I just gotta wait this out, right?!

The teen looked back at the porcelain image of his girlfriend, frozen to the spot with that chilling look in her alabaster eyes. He ran his fingers through his shaggy black hair, nervously thinking through his available options.

I could go to her house... tell her family… No! Her dad would literally kill me! I could go get the crew! They'd want to help, but... they wouldn't believe me. They'd probably think I was punking them and that Wendy was in on it! Hell, I'd sound like the Pines kid; all freaked out and desperate for answers over something totally messed like this...

Robbie could almost feel the gears turning inside of him. The Pines kid. The Pines kid. His stomach promptly soured. He couldn't help but grimace, wondering what his better judgment was suggesting to him. His thoughts went back to Wendy; about how this was all his fault. He could almost hear the pipsqueak's voice in his head: "How could you do this to her?! Why did I ever think it's a good idea to leave you two alone?!"

He broke into a frantic run, swatting the boy out of his mind. He could think of a handful of things that were worth having to deal with Dipper Pines. However, Wendy was one of those exceptions, so he gritted his teeth and sped down the dirt road. His troubled mind began concocting a decent game plan as the town lights came into his peripheral.

Clenching the burlap sack in his hands, he asked himself repeatedly, what on Earth am I doing? Okay, typically, when you want to ask for someone's help, kidnapping them wasn't the way to get their attention...

But, was there any way Dipper would give him the time of the day if he couldn't force him to the source of the problem? Robbie knew no matter how nicely he asked, the kid wouldn't do anything for him. However, , the twerp would lose it just as bad as he had moments before if he saw Wendy in her predicament. He took a deep breath, raised his fist, and banged on the Shack's closed door.

There was a silence in the summer air. In his mind's eye, Robbie saw Wendy standing all alone in the clearing. He grit his teeth as he thought of the his girlfriend left vulnerable and vegetated. Someone in the house was awake. He could see lights. Robbie had no intention of letting them waste his time. He slammed a black-clad fist down on the door again, pounding with more ferocity. This was all he had left; making it easy for him to turn hopelessness into anger.

He could hear syllables doppling inside. A single shadow moved to the door. The goth boy quickly felt relief wash over him. Robbie messily slipped to a blind spot adjacent to the door, waiting for the answer. He hoped it wasn't the weird girl, or the geezer, or the big dude. There was a moment of apprehension before the door creaked open.

Slowly, Robbie unraveled the sack in his hands, peering over quietly to see if his prey had taken the bait. He made out the shape of the blue lid of a baseball cap against the starlit backdrop. As soon as it came into sight, he leapt.

It was a messy tackle, but Robbie had agility on his side where he lacked grace. Within seconds, Dipper had been captured. The hilariously girly shriek he'd let out was muffled by the thickness of the sack. As Robbie dragged him through the forest, the tiny boy's screams sounded much more annoyed than legitimately horrified. Robbie chuckled to himself. Typical Pines; pretending not to be scared in the face of adversity...

The hasty walk lasted longer than the teen would have liked. Dipper's noises of objection were grating on his nerves, (which had already been sliced open from all that had happened up to this point) but at some point, the nuisance simmered down. The rest of the journey was quicker, and Robbie used the silence to steady his shaking torso and manage his breathing. There was no way he was going to look like a pansy in front of this brat—not again.

He reached the end of the clearing and precariously looked around for any signs of life. Robbie carelessly flipped his weapon of capture upside down, sending the 12 year old toppling to the ground in a messy heap. Surprisingly, he did not leap at the older boy, readied with accusations and words (since "fists" were not an option). Instead, he laid there and took in every surrounding, but Robbie, who was standing dumbly behind him and silent. Dipper stared at the sky, the coated ground, the sack—but completely ignored the teen as he mumbled to himself.

Growing impatient, Robbie shrouded himself in his cocky smoulder and let his presence be known. "How's it hanging, dork?"

He watched Dipper leap to his feet, scrambling for ground and failing miserably. The boy was off in his own world; stuck in some seizure-like trance for a good minute or so. Occasionally, he stole glances from Robbie while whipping his head back and forth in a panicked frenzy. This was not working.

"Uh..." The teen started. "What's your problem?"

Dipper's mouth dropped open, and he finally let out the onslaught of words Robbie had been anticipating. "Are you kidding me? You kidnapped me from my home! And you ask me what my problem is?"

Robbie bit his tongue, remembering his purpose. Okay, dude. You can't stand this little snot, and he pretty much feels the same about you. But, this is for Wendy. Tolerate it, and bring out the charm. God knows you're oozing with it. He ran his hand over the back of his head, ruffling choppy black hair, and softening his expression.

"Yeah, I guess…" he answered. "Anyways, the reason I brought you out here was… because… I need your help…"

The words left his mouth like thumbtacks. Everything about the situation was embarrassing, but Robbie knew he was out of options here. He watched the young boy's expression change from anxiety to downright disbelief.

"What?!" He stood flawlessly now, motioning for effect as he spoke. "Then, instead of doing all of this, why not just ask me, like a normal person would?"

"Well, sorry, kid! This is one thing I can't have you going around yapping about!" His defenses were back up. "Besides..." Robbie clenched his teeth in an effort to keep the creeping sadness out of his tone. "It's not exactly me who needs that favor…"

He watched cogs turn in Dipper's head. His look of both curiosity and nervousness struck a chord in Robbie. He stayed silent. Instead of stumbling over his words and making a fool of himself in front of the kid, he simply guided him to where Wendy stood, motionless and statuesque.

The boy immediately ran to her, just as horrified as Robbie had been prior, shakily running his hands over her and howling her name like an abandoned dog. It was unbelievable—here the teen was, holding in all the helplessness, fear and genuine concern for his girlfriend, and right in front of him was Dipper, on the verge of tears and grabbing her hand as if she was his long lost lover, taken away from him by the cold harshness of the dark, scary world. Robbie kept his disdain private alongside every other emotion, until he saw Dipper getting far too snuggly with Wendy's lifeless form.

"Hey—hey!"

The brunet quickly brought his gaze back to Robbie's burning icy-blue eyes. "Look, pint-size! This isn't 'Baby's First Cop-A-Feel!' I brought you out here to help her!"

"Would you please shut up?! I'm trying to listen for her heartbeat!"

His tone was surprisingly vitriolic, and Robbie's eyes widened as soon as it cut the air. He'd never seen Dipper so quick to snap back. He silently surrendered. "Oh..."

Dipper stayed in position for a silent moment, forcing Robbie to shallow back bile. He kept the boy's rationalization in the back of his mind. Crossing his arms, Robbie watched the kid, shifting forward ever so slightly when he heard him make a noise almost akin to laughter.

"What?!" He shouted. "What is it?"

"I can hear it! She still has a pulse!" Dipper beamed. "But... it's…tremendously slow… like two or three beats every thirty seconds… that's insane!"

Dipper's message sounded good, but its intended meaning went in one ear and out the other. "What does that mean... ?"

"I'm... not sure." Dipper fell silent, stepping toward Robbie.

Friggin' great. The older boy seethed. "Then what good are you?!"

"Well... wait a second, here!" He raised a finger accusingly. "What exactly happened? How did Wendy end up like this?"

Prepared, Robbie shot back immediately, "Look, I didn't do anything to her, alright!"

"I never said you did… I just asked what you were doing when this happened… but since you mentioned it, did you have anything to do with it?"

He scoffed at the accusation, his harsh tone dropping as the story progressed, "We were just talking, and all of a sudden, she froze up like that! I didn't know what else to do so… so I came and got you…"

Dipper immediately fell into thought. From the pockets of his vest, he produced what looked like a massive tome. He flipped the pages frantically, silently muttering to himself. Robbie had seen him do before: once upon a time when ghosts were taking his friends. Curiously, the teen hovered over the boy's shoulder.

"Um... what's that thing?"

"Oh, this?" Just barely escaping looking ridiculous, the boy grinned way wider than his mouth was capable of . "It's the…um…'Nerd's Guide to Ghosts, Monsters, & Other Oddities'…third edition…"

Robbie made a noise of amusement again. "Suits you."

After a dirty look, another moment of flipping through pages transpired. Dipper victoriously announced that he'd found something. Robbie watched from over his shoulder as he trailed a finger down the realistic ink and browned aging of the page, reading aloud.

"Trances:

In my journeys through Gravity Falls, I have bear witnessed to several forms of this ailment. Victims will have appeared to have very little to no showings of life, as if they had become living statues. I believe that this façade of death is due to a sort of out-of-body experience, where the spirit becomes tangibly detached from their physical form. Many have reported that such instances have been caused by a form of trauma or shock received beforehand…"

For some reason. the younger boy stopped reading, and seemingly laughed quietly to himself. A very confused Robbie waited on the edge of his seat as Dipper promptly continued on:

"...A possible way of awakening one under this sickness is through the use of a symbol of love. I have watched as the victim's most cherished ones gathered their favorite earthly items as a lure to help the disembodied souls find their way back home…"

Perfect. Robbie grinned, finally making some decent sense of whatever it was the Pines kid was preaching. There was actually a way he could make himself useful! He chucked, making Dipper raise his sights to the teen towering over him.

"What's so funny?"

With a confident smirk adorning his features, Robbie unsheathed his guitar from its sleeping coffin. As he brandished it, he twist the tuners ever so slightly. "Thanks for the tip, junior, but I think I got this. There's nothing Wendy adores more than a loving rock ballad from her man!"

Dipper rolled his eyes, tempting the ravenet's anger. He leaned a single foot on the rock adjacent to Wendy, and began strumming powerful chords (as powerful as acoustic could manage, at least). Robbie crooned out lyrics in the hopes that they'd reach some glowing part of Wendy's life force, hidden deep within what was left of her physical form. For a moment, he could have sworn that he saw a twinkle of green return to her pure-white eye. Hopeful, he pressed forward until Dipper interrupted him by tapping him on the shoulder. With his focus shattered, Robbie was nearly foaming at the mouth when he turned to the annoyance.

"What, kid?! I'm busy!"

"Look..." He explained. "I have an idea, but I need to borrow your bike for a few minutes. I want to get something from back home."

Releasing his anger in another rough and venomous scoff, Robbie flipped his hair out of his eyes. He wasn't exactly eager to give it to Dipper; it'd been stolen a while ago and he was sure that the boy had been responsible. However, he had no proof to support his claims. Not even Wendy believed his theory.

"Like I care! Besides, I'm going to be here for a while. We're only on track three of a thirteen track playlist! Sooner or later, she'll come around."

Maybe if I say stuff like that out loud, it'll come true. The desperate teen prayed in the back of his mind.

While Robbie was lost in his thoughts, Dipper offered a sheepish grin and his thanks. The tween sped down the road, and left Robbie, once more, to himself with what was once a vibrant, energetic Wendy.

When he was sure the younger boy was out of sight, Robbie lowered his guitar, and sighed. "Whatever... probably didn't even need your help, anyway..."

He bit the inside of his cheek and raised his lively gaze back to where Wendy's had once been. Robbie let what lyrics he had left in him fill the clearing, cradling both teens enough to soothe his guilty conscience.